


Peppermint

by ButtKickingForGoodness



Series: Time and the World do not Stand Still [1]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Early in Canon, In Which the Author Projects onto Sammy Stevens, M/M, internalized ableism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-11-02 05:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20643914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButtKickingForGoodness/pseuds/ButtKickingForGoodness
Summary: Sammy had known from the moment he woke up that morning that this was going to happen.





	Peppermint

To be honest, Sammy’s surprised it’s taken Ben this long to ask. Part of him feels bad for assuming the worst of the guy, especially after actually getting to know Ben a little better, but after how poorly his encounter with the deputy had gone he can’t bring himself to feel too bad.

Ben’s not saying anything now though, just watching intently as Sammy carefully sets down his ever-present thermos of tea on the pad he keeps by his spot on the desk. He’s frowning slightly, and Sammy know he can see it, know that even if it hasn’t been this bad in a very long time it’s right in front of Ben’s face and there’s no way he _can’t_ see it. Sammy meets Ben’s eyes and raises an eyebrow expectantly, maintaining the slightly uncomfortable eye contact as he settles in his chair and rest his hands in a neutral position on the desk. Ben blink and looks away, awkwardly running his own steady hand through his untidy curls and busying himself with setting up the commercials.

The thing is, Sammy had known from the moment he woke up that morning that this was going to happen.

He’d been pulled out of a nightmare by the shrill ringing of his alarm, and his hands had been shaking so badly that he could barely operate the touchscreen on his phone to turn it off. His hands hadn’t settled since, even after eating breakfast. He’d been able to hide away in his apartment during the day, but he couldn’t risk calling in sick over the phone.

Ben is looking at him again.

Sammy ignores him, but it’s not long before Ben breaks the silence.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asks, a note of genuine concern in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sammy responds, his voice mercifully steady. It wasn’t even entirely a lie.

Ben huffs a frustrated sigh. “Have too many cups of coffee before you left the house?” he asks. It’s possible that Ben’s trying for lighthearted, but it doesn’t quite reach.

Sammy bites back a wry laugh. “Don’t drink coffee.” He’s careful not to let the words drag on too long.

“I know,” responds Ben. “All you ever drink is that horrible peppermint tea.”

That hurts. Sammy hides his flinch, but Ben must have read something in his face, because he walks over and sits down across from Sammy.

Sammy braces himself.

“Look, I know I’ve only known you for like two months, but something’s clearly up, alright? Please just tell me what’s going on. I’m worried about you.”

Sammy wants to respond, to brush Ben off, but the words stick in his throat. Ben’s a good guy, how poorly could this possibly go? (Pretty bad, his brain reminds him).

“Your hands are shaking so badly you couldn’t even hold the pencil to sign in, Sammy. This isn’t normal.”

Sammy swallows. “It, uh… it is normal, actually,” he responds, the words suddenly leaping from his throat. Ben leans forward but doesn’t say anything. Sammy lets the silence sit for a moment, but when Ben doesn’t push, he continues.

“I have tremors. They’re not progressive; they’re not connected to anything else. My hands just shake.”

Sammy holds up his right hand (the worse one) palm down, fingers extended. There’s no hiding how badly it’s shaking, jumping like a spider’s web that’s snared a struggling fly. He fixes his gaze on Ben’s face so he doesn’t have to look, but he can still feel the movement. Ben’s eyes widen, and Sammy abruptly snatches his hand back and crosses his arms, tucking his hands out of sight.

Ben startles at the sudden movement.

“Have – have you always had them?” he asks, respectful but curious.

“No.” Sammy responds, letting a note of coolness seep back into his voice.

Ben takes the hint and backs off, resuming his normal setup routine. Sammy breathes a sigh of relief. Talking about when his tremors abruptly worsened would mean talking about Jack, and, well. There are some things Ben doesn’t need to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is based solely on my own experiences with tremors and the way that people around me have reacted to them. I do have more scenes based in this universe planned, but I don't have a timetable for them.


End file.
